National Hog Farmer May 2013

The May issue of National Hog Farmer features the inspiring stories behind some of the true innovators and supporters of the pork industry. The Masters of the Pork Industry are a very special, handpicked group of leaders who share their personal stories and philosophies about the future of the industry. Learn about the state of the Canadian pork industry and make plans to help celebrate World Pork Expo's 25th anniversary!

The Masters of the Pork Industry

National Hog Farmer's Masters of the Pork Industry are a very special, hand-picked group of leaders who share their personal stories and philosophies about life, their careers in the pork industry and their visions for the future....More

There’s a story shared in the Wolter family about a day when Bradley’s father, while fixing some hog fences, nailed his cloth diapers to a fence post just to keep track of him. Tale or true, the story reinforces Bradley Wolter’s early exposure to pigs and may help explain his lifelong ambition to build better hog production systems. Wolters is now chief operating officer at The Maschhoffs Inc., and serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Illinois....More

Truly, for Malcolm DeKryger, there is no such thing as an average day at the bustling offices of Belstra Milling Co., DeMotte, IN. Supervisor of five swine complexes that serve as gilt multipliers for PIC across the nation, DeKryger is also general contractor-manager of an innovative project dubbed “The Pig Adventure,” which includes a working hog farm (Legacy Farms) that consumers can visit, see pig displays, farm activities, and visit a restaurant tied to the popular Fair Oaks Farms dairy adventure at Fair Oaks, IN....More

At a time when the pork industries in most states are striving for stability, South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension swine specialist Bob Thaler finds his state’s industry in the midst of a growth spurt of sorts....More

With deep-seated roots in the pork industry, Jim Meimann has taken a decidedly low profile in his responsibilities as senior vice president of governance and operations at the National Pork Board. “I’m a behind-the-scenes kind of guy,” he explains. But don’t let his mild manner fool you; he is passionate about making sure pork producers get their money’s worth from their checkoff investments. He serves as the National Pork Board’s point person in their dealings with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), the government arm that oversees Pork Checkoff programs and spending....More

For Rodney “Butch” Baker, DVM — despite a long, respected career as a consulting swine veterinarian practicing in several states — in his mind he had not reached the pinnacle of success until seven years ago, when he joined Iowa State University (ISU) in Ames. No matter where in the world someone hails from, ISU is known as “swine central” — the mecca of swine production and education, Baker explains in his persistent southern drawl. “The move here has really been the best thing that has happened to me in my career — it is such a great place,” he says....More

An education in the hog business can take many forms. For Jeff Hansen, founder and CEO of Iowa Select Farms, the tutorial began at the end of a pitchfork. Growing up on a farm near the company’s home base in Iowa Falls, IA, Hansen and his two brothers were what he calls “Dad’s skid-steer loaders.”...More

State of the Canadian Pork Industry

The Canadian hog industry is back to recovery mode. Those who have weathered the drought are ready to take on new markets.“When you look at the big picture, the industry has been incredibly resilient,” notes Kevin Grier, senior analyst with the George Morris Centre, in Guelph, Ontario. The Canadian pork industry is about 25% smaller than it was in 2004, but the industry that survived is very competitive....More

World Pork Expo News

The world’s largest pork-specific trade show, a wide range of educational seminars, breeding stock shows and sales, and succulent pork products are just some of the reasons to attend the 2013 World Pork Expo on June 5-7 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, IA....More

From My Perspective

The National Pork Producers Council will celebrate the silver anniversary of World Pork Expo in June. Being a bit of a pork industry history buff, I decided to thumb through some old files to help jog my memory of how this “world’s largest pork-specific event” came about....More

Veterinarians on Call

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus entered the United States in the late 1980s. Through the years, the virus has mutated, evolved and recombined to create hundreds of virus strains today....More